The Forbidden Room
by John Hawkman
Summary: The Doctor reminisces about his various sonic screwdrivers, after Amy breaks the first one he ever owned.
1. Chapter 1

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The Doctor's Forbidden Room was the one room in the TARDIS that Amy was not allowed to go into. It was strange; she was allowed in the armory, in the Eye of Harmony, even in The Doctor's bedroom, but the Forbidden Room was the only one that was…forbidden.

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"OK, Amy, I'm just going to go pick up some milk," The Doctor said, "I'll be back in ten minutes."

"Have fun," Amy replied

The Doctor walked out of the TARDIS. Amy waited ten seconds, and then went running to the Forbidden Room. She sprinted down the corridor, up the stairs, and up to the round wooden door. She opened it up with her hairpin, and walked inside. To her surprise, it was a small room with a metal rack on the wall holding every one of The Doctor's various sonic screwdrivers. They were in chronological order, from the simple one used by the First Doctor, to the third Doctor's larger and more detailed version, to the futuristic one used by River Song.

"Wow…!"

Amy was enthralled by the screwdrivers; they all seemed so alien, so powerful, as if she was staring at the very essence of The Doctor. She took down the screwdriver that looked like a penlight; its simplicity intrigued her most of all.

"I'm The Doctor," Amy waved it around, doing various poses, "Take that, Daleks! Ah-ah-ah! Take that River! Ah-ah-ah!"

Amy attempted to toss the screwdriver in the air and catch it, just like The Doctor did, but to her horror, it fell to the ground, and the crystal on the tip smashed.

"Oh no!" Amy gasped

Panicking, she picked up the screwdriver, put it back on the rack, and scuttled outside.

/

Amy ran back to the TARDIS console desperately, hoping the entire thing was just a horrible nightmare. To her shock, The Doctor was right there.

"Amy," he said, "In a hurry? Did you miss me?"

"Actually…" Amy didn't want to lie to him, "The thing is, Doctor…"

"You went in the Forbidden Room?" The Doctor completed, with a little smile

"Yeah," Amy admitted, "And I touched one of your screwdrivers."

"It's alright," The Doctor said, "I shouldn't have made it sound so tempting."

"That's a relief," Amy continued, "I actually…well, it's nothing."

"What?" The Doctor asked, "You can tell me."

"I broke one of them," Amy admitted, "But it was just that small silver one."

For a moment, The Doctor maintained his cheerful smile, but then his expression changed to anger.

"Go to your room," he growled

"But I…"

"I SAID GO TO YOUR ROOM!"

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Later…

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The Doctor sat down on the chair in the console room, looking at his broken screwdriver. He placed it next to the helmic regulator, and sighed. The Doctor didn't mean to yell at Amy, he knew she didn't break his screwdriver on purpose, but he did love that screwdriver. He remembered when he first got it…

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Gallifrey, Rassilon era…

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"Do you like it, Grandfather? The salesman said it was a great quad-centennial gift."

Susan looked eagerly at her The Doctor, awaiting his response. He smiled, twirling the silver device in his hand. There was engraving in Gallifreyan on the side, reading 'To Grandfather, love Susan'.

"I do like it," The Doctor admitted, "What's it called again?"

"Um…The Salesman called it a 'multi-functional sound-utilizing omni-tool'," Susan said

"Well, we'll have to think up a better name for it," The Doctor decided, "Any suggestions?"

"Sonic…screwdriver?" Susan suggested

"Very suitable."

The Doctor tucked the screwdriver away in his Inverness cape. It would prove quite useful when he planned to sneak into that TARDIS impound lot later, and 'borrow' that nice Type 40. Then a thought popped into his head.

"I say, Susan, are you doing anything tonight?"

/

More to come, reviews appreciated


	2. Chapter 2

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Earth, UNIT headquarters, 1970

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The Doctor sat on his workbench, surrounded by small mechanical parts. He held up a small circuit board, and slid it inside a metal tube. Slowly, he combined the tube with a circular 'head', and locked them in position.

"I'm confused, Doctor," The Brigadier said, "I thought these…'sound spanners' were small."

"That's sonic screwdriver," The Doctor corrected, "The reason it's larger is because I had to built it from earth materials. This is the only Time Lord device in existence built entirely from earth technology. A little piece of home."

Liz Shaw ran into the room.

"Doctor, the foreman of the hydroelectric plant has declined to shut down the propellers!" she exclaimed, "They'll enter the Ordovician freshwater supply in thirty minutes!"

The Doctor switched on his screwdriver, letting it buzz.

"Let's go," he said, throwing his velvet jacket on

"I'll order ten rounds, rapid fire," The Brigadier decided

"Is that all you ever do?" Liz groaned

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Present day

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The Doctor sat in his chair in the TARDIS, in a state of depression. Amy walked in gingerly; she knew how volatile The Doctor could be when he was angry.

"Doctor?" she asked, nervously

"What is it, Pond?" The Doctor replied in a heartless tone

"I-I know I shouldn't have touched your screwdriver," Amy began

The Doctor ignored her.

"If you can just tell me where you bought it, I'll get you a new one. I've got money."

"There's a whole box full of them in the back of my closet," The Doctor replied, "But that one was special."

The Doctor tossed it to Amy; she caught it that time.

"Do you see the inscription on the side?" The Doctor asked

He told Amy what it meant. Then he told her who Susan was.

"Oh…" Amy suddenly felt horrible, "Doctor, I'm so sorry! I didn't know it was that special to you."

"All my screwdrivers are," The Doctor replied, "Every one of them has a special meaning to me..."

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The former location of Gallifrey…

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The TARDIS had left the Time War's time-lock. The Doctor let go of the console, and stood up, trying to gain balance. He had regenerated, but didn't have time to look; the situation was too dire. The TARDIS had barely survived, and was regenerating too; the Gothic theme had faded to a more coral-look. The Doctor checked the Time Viewer, and his worst fears were confirmed: Gallifrey was no longer there. There wasn't even any record of it being there.

"No!" he gasped, "That's not possible!"

The Doctor collapsed onto the console, his spirit practically destroyed. The TARDIS sensed his suffering, and adjusted itself slightly. The Time Viewer changed to show the population of earth; The Doctor saw it: 6,345,846,319 people. It was good to see his real home was still there. Suddenly, from the TARDIS's micro-processor port arose a brand new sonic screwdriver. It was fascinating; The Doctor picked it up, and held it out. It hummed when he pressed the blue button; he could feel it pulsating in his hands. It was alive. He was not alone anymore.

"Fantastic," he grinned

/

More to come.

Note: the Ninth Doctor story in this was inspired by a YouTube video, called "Doctor Who – End of Time War" by PolinkaCool. It's worth checking out.


	3. Chapter 3

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The TARDIS, after leaving 1666

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The Doctor was not speaking; he leaned against the TARDIS console, in a melancholic state.

"What's wrong with him?" Nyssa whispered

"I don't know," Tegan eyed The Doctor, "He's been like this ever since we left."

"Doctor," Adric began

"Shush!" The Doctor held up his hand to silence the boy

"Well, we're not going to get a response from him any time soon," Tegan decided, "Do you want to go throw a boomerang around the garden or something?"

"OK," Nyssa replied eagerly

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The girls left; Adric followed them. The Doctor, meanwhile, was still upset. The TARDIS could sense it. From one of its ports arose a jelly baby. It failed to amuse The Doctor.

"I don't like those anymore," The Doctor replied

The jelly baby went back into the port. The TARDIS made a few clicking sounds.

"Oh, you noticed?" The Doctor asked, "Yes, I know it's a strange thing. It was just this morning that I tucked it away in my jacket, then that Terileptil…I'm sorry, I don't like to talk about it."

Another port in the console opened, this time revealing the microprocessor within the TARDIS. All the materials were there, all he had to do was press a button and a new screwdriver would be built.

"Thanks," The Doctor said, "But it's too soon. It'll be a while before I'm ready for a new screwdriver…"

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The TARDIS, present day

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The Doctor and Amy walked down the TARDIS corridor; The Doctor was finding the right room.

"Doctor, I understand now," Amy said, "I'll never touch your screwdrivers again."

"It's not about that," The Doctor replied, "A time will come when you will need to use it, and I want you to know exactly how precious it is."

The Doctor opened a door, revealing a large cave. Inside it, white crystals grew from the cave ceiling, above a clear pool of water.

"This is beautiful…" Amy breathed

"This is a Whitepoint Star cave," The Doctor explained, "The stars are the key component of a sonic screwdriver."

"Can't it be made without it?" Amy asked

"There are substitutes, artificially grown ones," The Doctor continued, "But they're not the same. A real sonic screwdriver uses one of these."

The Doctor fished into the pool of water, and picked up a fragment of diamond.

"Every diamond has to be cut down to a very specific design," The Doctor explained, "One flaw and the sonic energy cracks it."

"Why are you telling me this?" Amy asked

"Because, Pond," The Doctor tossed her the diamond, "You're going to build your own screwdriver…"

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2009

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The Doctor and Donna Noble stood on the steps of the Adipose Industries building, watching the crowds try and figure out what had happened. Donna was quite amused by it, but The Doctor's mind was on something else. In his hand he held Miss Foster's sonic pen; it disgusted him. It was a fake sonic, using a plastic crystal and dampeners, of all things, and the fact that it was disguised as a pen was even worse; it would make James Bond cringe. The worst thing was, it was on par with The Doctor's screwdriver. It tore him apart that such a cheap knock off was equal to Time Lord technology. The Doctor tossed it in the trashcan angrily. Donna was disappointed; she was going to ask The Doctor if she could have it. But one look into her eyes told her that The Doctor wouldn't go for it.

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To be continued…


	4. Chapter 4

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Over the next two weeks, Amy spent every moment of her spare time building her screwdriver. She had a how-to guide, but it was still a difficult task; they were intended for a Time Lord mechanic, not a kissogram from Leadworth. But Amy persisted; she felt like she owed it to The Doctor. After a while, she began to enjoy it. She had a nice workbench in her room, and lots of alien tools to use.

"Amy!" The Doctor stuck his head through the door, "Time for bed."

"Just five more minutes?" Amy pleaded

"Alright…"

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Amy finished her screwdriver later the next day. She held it up in her hands; it was red with the lower half covered by wire mesh. The tip of it was black, with two Whitepoint star diamonds embedded down the middle.

"Now, let's see if I can be a Time Lord," Amy said, out loud

She aimed her screwdriver at her desk lamp, and switched it on. It made a sharp metallic 'zing', and all the screws rocketed out. Amy squealed with delight.

"Yes! Yes!" she was jumping up and down with excitement, "I made a screwdriver! Doctor!"

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Four incarnations ago…

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The Doctor and Ace stood in the console room, attempting to change the anti-infraction circuit. Ace stood on The Doctor's shoulders, moving some wires around in an open panel.

"Professor, two of these are fused together," Ace said

"I can fix it," The Doctor said, "I just need to invert the polarity of the atmosphere."

"What?"

"Invert the polarity of the atmosphere. Hold on…"

The Doctor turned around, almost sending Ace flying to the ground.

"Gordon Bennett!" Ace exclaimed, grabbing onto the wall

"Sorry, Ace," The Doctor said, helping her down

"So How do you do that?" Ace asked

"I need to reach underneath the console," The Doctor explained

"Can we move it?"

"I can, but it'll take me a while. I'd like to drop you off somewhere until I'm done."

"Can you drop me off in the Jurassic period?" Ace asked, with enthusiasm

"Sure…"

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Sometime later…

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The TARDIS rematerialized where The Doctor had dropped off Ace. The doors opened, revealing a happy looking Doctor.

"Hey Professor," Ace said, stuffing her Nitro-9 in her rucksack, "Did you move the console?"

"Oh yes," The Doctor said, "And while I was at it, I made a few changes."

"Like what?"

The Doctor led her through the threshold, and revealed the new TARDIS.

"Well, Ace, what do you think?" The Doctor asked

The TARDIS had changed from a sterile, futuristic white environment, to a gothic-steampunk design with hardwood floors and stone walls. Bookshelves adorned the walls, and the seal of Rassilon was placed above the door.

"Fantastic!" Ace exclaimed, "Wow! Professor, how did you do this so fast?"

"Oh, it's easy if you know how to operate the TARDIS correctly," The Doctor replied, "But I managed anyway."

Ace strolled across the carpet, observing every new detail of the TARDIS. The wooden-paneled console, the time rotor that hung from the ceiling, the Turkish rug.

"But I thought you were just going to move the console?" Ace asked, though not complaining

"I was going to, but then I found this," The Doctor held up a screwdriver

"What is it?" Ace asked

"It's my sonic screwdriver," The Doctor replied, "It rolled under the console a few years ago. After finding it, I was inspired to give my ship a more Gallifreyan feel…"

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Present day

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Amy ran through the TARDIS, looking for The Doctor. She burst in on him in the wardrobe, trying on bow ties.

"Doctor!" Amy exclaimed, "I finished my screwdriver!"

"Really?" The Doctor hastily tied his tie, "Let's have a look."

He took the screwdriver from her, tossed it a couple of times, and then pointed it at the door. With the press of a button, it locked shut.

"OK, it passes that test," The Doctor noted, "There's just one thing I need to check."

The Doctor reached into his pocket, and took out his sonic screwdriver. He held it against Amy's, and switched them both on. Oscillating, harmonic music played.

"Hold two pure sonic screwdrivers together," The Doctor grinned, "And you hear the music of the universe. If you try this with a knock-off screwdriver, then you risk deafening everyone in the room."

The Doctor pulled the screwdrivers apart slowly, and the music faded.

"This is a really great achievement, Pond," The Doctor said

"But I can't keep it," Amy reminded

The Doctor nodded.

"You knew this would happen?" The Doctor asked

"Yeah," Amy replied

Amy understood how sacred the sonic screwdriver was to The Doctor. If she had one, then it would no longer be a Time Lord trademark, and The Doctor would have lost a piece of home.

"I'll just go throw this in the incinerator," Amy said

"Wait," The Doctor stopped her, "Why don't you go put it with the others?"

Amy's eyes brightened with excitement.

"You mean…The Forbidden Room?" Amy asked

"Sure, why not?"

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As Amy walked out the room, The Doctor got up, and walked around the TARDIS console, gently stroking it. In a way, The Doctor was glad Amy broke his screwdriver. If that hadn't happened, he wouldn't have remembered all of the great times the screwdriver had given him. And to be fair, Amy hadn't been the first companion to damage a screwdriver. Sarah Jane had mistook it for a bicycle pump, Leela had tried to microwave it, Peri had hit The Master with it, and Jack and Donna…well, The Doctor wasn't sure how it got there, but at least he'd been able to find a doctor who could pull it out.

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Amy happily skipped to The Forbidden Room; she hadn't felt this good since her aunt had put her drawing of the Raggedy Doctor up on the refrigerator. Amy opened up the Forbidden Room door, and looked for an empty rack.

"Mine can go right…there!" Amy decided

She placed her screwdriver on rack beneath the Third Doctor's screwdriver and above Romana's screwdriver. It glowed; the TARDIS had accepted it.

"Yes!"

She jumped for joy, and knocked over The Master's laser screwdriver. It fell to the ground, and broke into three pieces. Amy groaned.

"Here we go again…"

/

The End


End file.
